1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel composition usable as an animal feed additive.
2. Description of the Background
Tryptophan is one of the essential amino acids for animals and can be produced by either a chemical process or a biochemical process. One typical biochemical process is known to produce tryptophan by culturing a tryptophan-producing microorganism in a medium using saccharides as principal carbon sources and ammonia or other nitrogen-containing substances as principal nitrogen sources. The tryptophan consequently produced in the culture broth is isolated from the culture broth, purified, and then put to use in animal feed. Successful use in animal feed of the tryptophan as contained in the culture broth not specifically isolated from the impurities inherent in the culture broth or otherwise purified has never been reported in the literature.
Furthermore, tryptophan is highly susceptible to chemical changes such as decomposition. It is known that when a fermentation broth containing the produced tryptophan is concentrated and dehydrated by ordinary procedures described in the literature, the tryptophan in the fermentation broth will be colored and will be substantially lost through hydrolysis.